Unknown Snags Male Lead In Ryan Murphy's Town That Dreaded Sundown Remake

Between the pop music-stuffed Glee and the gleefully gruesome American Horror Story, writer/producer/director Ryan Murphy has dominated television. And soon he'll be taking his love of horror and gore to the big screen with a gritty remake of the 1976 horror-thriller The Town That Dreaded Sundown. With production kicking off soon, casting announcements for this remake have been rolling out. Earlier this month, Californication's Addison Timlin signed on to play the feature's female lead, and now THR reports newcomer Travis Tope has snagged the male lead.

Tope has one previous film credit, previously starring in the little-known drama Divine Souls. He attempted to break into more prestigious projects by submitting audition tapes from his Plano, Texas residence. Gaining little traction that way, he headed to Los Angeles like many aspiring movie stars before him. But unlike most, he scored his breakthrough opportunity in just 10 days, and reportedly won this role over two more storied ingendudes.

Set in a rural Texarkana town that was plagued by a merciless serial killer in 1946, The Town That Dreaded Sundown's remake follows what happens when still on-the-loose killer returns in 2013. That's 67 years later, but surely screenwriter Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa has come up with some satisfying explanation on how that's possible. Timlin plays a high school girl who lives with her grandmother and is targeted by this mysterious murderer.

Tope will play her friend, and a nod to the original's documentary style—which some credit as the start of the found footage subgenre—his character decides to make a doc about the hunt for this crazed killer. We can assume that won't end well for his character, but this is great for Tope's prospects.

The Town That Dreaded Sundown will mark the directorial feature film debut of Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, who has helmed several episodes of American Horror Story. Production will begin in May.